Marks and Sponsor

This is that time of the year, when you get calls from excited parents that their kid has scored a 70%, 80% or 90% in the board exams.

I recall several years back when I had scored 93% and had topped the UT of Pondicherry. ‘Excitement’ seems a small word to describe what my parents went through. I was,suddenly a celebrity. There was the ‘All India Radio’ interview (no TV channels back then), newspaper write- ups, magazine coverage and several award ceremonies organized by the Rotary Club, Lions club etcetera.

I realized very soon that my parents deserved all the accolades for the countless sacrifices they had made. From my side, there were some too – No movies or TV for a year (access denied by Mom), no summer vacation (was doing the entire Math syllabus through private tutoring), no holidays or picnics. Since it was an all girls convent school in a small town, there were anyways no scope for style statements or boyfriends. My Mom must have done more church visits than what a local parish priest would, in his lifetime. Whether it was ingenuity, drudgery, austerity, divinity or just destiny, no one can say. But it paid off. Today, I am one among the happy, financially astute, free thinking being... thanks to my parents

Over the years, several things have changed in Urban India as regards child-rearing.... but one thing has remained constant – the penchant for educating the little ones. Indian parents worldwide not only try to give the best education to their child but also sponsor the child’s education right through college…. and sensibly so. Last August in America alone, student loans surpassed credit card loans as the nation’s single largest source of debt, edging close to $1 trillion. But back home no usurious fees, defaulted loans or vicious harassment for our kids. 

Three cheers for all the parents whose kids completed school.  Marks or no marks, you have every reason to rejoice.